US Blocks UN Security Council Statement On Shooting That Killed Hundreds Of Palestinians In Gaza

JAKARTA - Arab countries failed to get immediate support for the UN Security Council's statement blaming Israeli forces for the shooting of Palestinians awaiting food delivery and other humanitarian aid in Gaza that caused hundreds of casualties.

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour told reporters after a board-closed emergency meeting on the tragedy, 14 of the 15 council members supported a statement proposed by Algeria, Arab representatives at the agency, reported The Times of Israel March 1.

Meanwhile, the United States chose not to support the statement. US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told a journalist, "We don't have all the facts on the ground, that's the problem."

He further said, there were conflicting reports. Uncle Sam's country, he said, is trying to gather all the facts, including the "state of how people die" which is the main issue.

Wood said diplomats were trying "to see if we could find a language that could be agreed upon by everyone,".

As previously reported, at least 112 people were killed and more than 280 injured in an incident near Gaza City Thursday, Palestinian health officials said. The civilian casualties this time were the largest in recent weeks.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the killing of more than 100 people awaiting humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, Palestine was a situation requiring an effective independent investigation.

UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement the UN Secretary-General condemned the heartbreaking event.

"Usless civilians in Gaza need immediate help, including those in a trapped northern region where the United Nations has been unable to deliver aid for more than a week," he explained.

The United Nations was not present at the time of the incident but called for an investigation, Dujarric said.